Visual Analysis: Bottle & The Dog Who Was A Cat Inside

        While stylistically Kirsten Lepore’s Bottle and Siri Melchior’s The Dog Who Was A Cat Inside bear little to no resemblance to one another, beneath the surface there are a number of common themes shared between the two animations. Both address the complex issues of isolation and loneliness, as well as identity.

       In Bottle, Lepore approaches these themes with a certain amount of ambiguity. The two distinct settings, the beach and the snowy riverside, initially appear tranquil and idyllic, yet as the animation progresses, they become increasingly empty and isolated. This ambiguity is further enhanced by the simple, faceless characters. Despite being faceless, they are not expressionless. Small subtle gestures, combined with well-considered pauses and careful shot framing, provides the illusion of emotion, yet is open to interpretation by the individual viewer. Are these characters solemn and downcast, or bright and jocular? There is no definite answer. 

        Ostensibly, the minimal, diegetic soundtrack does nothing to manipulate the mood or tone of the animation, but ultimately the hollow emptiness contributes to the atmosphere of loneliness and longing which permeates the animation, eclipsing the lighter moments. Despite this sombre picture, the tone of the animation does fluctuate between wistful and comedic. Lepore expertly weaves innocent joy into the narrative, as the two characters attempt to make head or tail of the strange foreign objects that wash up on their shores. Interestingly, it is in seeing how these two figures respond to these articles that their own individual personalities begin to surface. 

Bottle ends on an arguably melancholic note as the mutual desire of the snowman and the sandman to meet results in their simultaneous demise. However, Lepore never intended or viewed this denouement to be as sad, rather seeing it as a union, the only way the characters from polar opposites can be together. From this perspective, it is an uplifting fable, as the two figures shed their possessions, meet and accept one another just as they are.

The light hearted tone of The Dog Who Was A Cat Inside is more immediately apparent. While Lepore’s real world stop motion had a magical and awe inspiring quiet beauty, fitting to the contemplative tone, Melchior’s animation is more ostentatious.  The brighter, cartoonish style, coupled with the bizarre scenario of a dog and a cat living in one body, at first gives a humorous impression. Yet behind this façade, the themes Melchior addresses are quite adult.

                Based on the Danish proverb ‘don’t judge a dog by its fur’, the predicament of the dog/cat could be interpreted as a visual metaphor for a number of human concerns, from split personality to transsexuality and the accompanying prejudices. The animal is suffering internal conflict and feels isolated as he is met with hostility from other dogs, cats, and mice. The pair even sabotage each other’s chances of friendship with their own respective species. He doesn’t fit in anywhere.

                Melchior’s animation style is well suited to conveying these themes. Inspired by cubism, Melchior captures the style’s inherent ability to ‘illustrate many facets of the same thing at once’. The animation has a layered quality, similar to paper cut outs, mirroring the depth and complexity of the animal’s personality, while the hand drawn aspect imparts a spontaneity, dynamism and raw emotion. There is a notable stylistic difference between the two halves of the personality; while the dog is blocky and angular, the cat, drawn onto the shapes of the dog, is flowing and graceful. Everything about this pair is at odds and disparate.

                Unlike Lepore, Melchior chooses to make use of a non-diegetic soundtrack. The sparing score undergoes subtle variations throughout the film, guiding but not manipulating the viewer through the emotions the dog/cat experiences. It doesn’t need to be imposing, as after all, these emotions are plain for all to see in the face and posture of the animal; the music is just an understated enhancement. To the same end, pathetic fallacy is also used, with the weather indicating a darkening or brightening mood.

                It is not until the dog and the cat learn to cooperate and accept one another, and their own shared identity, that they find a kindred spirit. As in Lepore’s interpretation of Bottle’s finale, the dog/cat finds happiness with a companion who accepts him for who he is. Both Lepore and Melchior embrace animism as a powerful narrative device. By recognising the audience’s readiness to bestow human levels of spirit and emotion not just on animals, but on earthly materials, both have constructed parables on the importance of identity and acceptance.